We'll be putting on a square dance with our pal and caller Steph Noll at the St. Johns Bizarre this weekend. We'll be at the "Good Times Stage" (glad that they didn't schedule us for the "Bad Times" stage this year) from 4:30 to 6, this Saturday, May 9th. Steph will be calling a variety of dances including some family and kid friendly dances. And as a bonus, legendary Portland fiddler Jason Noice may be sitting in with us for a few tunes! For more info, check out the website for the St. Johns Parade and Bizarre!
We're looking forward to a New Year's Eve in Astoria, playing tunes at Fort George Brewery with Brownsmead Flats. It'll be a "Flat" band fest! Music starts at 8 and goes 'till after midnight. We'll be celebrating in style with the aid of Fort George's many fine beers, which will hopefully include the amazing Bourbon Barrel aged Cavatica Stout (one of the NW's finest stouts, as determined by at least three members of Flat Rock Stringband who regularly consume enough local beer to be authorities on the subject). Add fiddle tunes and the amazing harmonies and tunes of Brownsmead Flats to the mix and I can't think of a better way of starting off the New Year.
Brownsmead Flats play from 8pm-10pm Flat Rock Stringband plays 10pm- after Midnight Fort George Brewery 1483 Duane Street, Astoria, OR 97103 EVERY SUNDAY SQUARE DANCE with Flat Rock Stringband and caller Paul Silveria September 28th 7-9pm Village Ballroom · 700 NE Dekum Street One of the best things about fall here in Portland is it's the beginning of Square Dance season. Check the ESSD schedule and go every week to keep those dark-day blahs away! One of our favorite yearly gigs is at the Sustainable Wood Northwest fundraiser. This year happens to be their 20th anniversary, so it should be a great party.
Here's their website with more info: http://www.sustainablenorthwest.org/blog/posts/sustainable-northwest-20th-anniversary-bash When: August 7, 2014 - 6pm Where: At the Sustainable Northwest Wood warehouse, near OMSI, 225-A SE Division Place, Portland, OR 97202 Tickets: $50. Buy your tickets here. We're gearing up for a busy month! We're excited to be playing at Captured by Porches two dates in August.
See below for details: August 2nd (that's this Saturday...) 6-8:30pm August 17th (it's a Sunday) 5-7:30pm The Captured by Porches Beer Bus at Kruger's Farm Stand in St. Johns Neighborhood 7316-18 North Lombard, Portland, OR www.capturedbyporches.com www.krugersfarmmarket.com Every Sunday Square Dance 7-9 pm at the Village Ballroom 700 NE Dekum Street Portland, Oregon We'll be playing the Every Sunday Square Dance this Sunday, May 11th, with caller Steph Noll! The Every Sunday Square Dance is Portland's best volunteer-organized weekly square dance. This is not your grandparents’ square dance! You don’t need special training or fancy clothes. Just come on out to meet people, dance, enjoy great music, and have a drink. The cost is an affordable $7: sliding scale, no maximum. All ages welcome, no experience necessary. All dances are taught beforehand. Jamie Hale of the Oregonian wrote an article about this year's Portland Old Time Music Gathering and produced a short video featuring Flat Rock Stringband playing at the Thursday night square dance with caller Amy Hofer. It was a great gathering this year! Thanks to everyone who attended and traveled to Portland to make this year a great one! Here's an excerpt from the article: "Dive for the oyster! Dig for the clam! Shoot the hole in the old tin can!" Amy Hofer's square dancing calls might sound like nonsense out of context, but in the midst of the dance Thursday night it was good, old-fashioned tradition. The dance was part of the Old Time Music Gathering, an annual five-day festival that celebrates traditional Appalachian music and culture. Events started Wednesday and are scheduled through Sunday evening. With fiddles screaming and boots stomping Thursday night, people swung around the floor of Velo Cult, a bike shop and bar in Northeast Portland, feet moving swifter as the music played faster. Although music and dancing are the primary focus of the gathering – The Flat Rock String Band played a great set Thursday night, followed by Caroline Oakley and the Old Time Highway – people come for the overall experience. "It's like bringing back tradition, but bringing it back in a fresh new way," said Janelle Bickford, a 31-year-old from North Portland. She's started going to square dances five or six years ago, and once she started she was hooked, she said. "I feel like it's a way of life for our community here." A communal warmth flowed through the room as more people joined in. Dancers ranged from the pint-sized toddler in pink to the old couple in dark flannels and jeans. Regardless of age or experience, everyone danced together, leaving old partners for new, short for tall, women for men, swinging around through the crowd and back to the start. "It's a community feel, it's a good vibe," said Aaron Guffey. The 37-year-old started square dancing about six years back, where he met Janelle. The two are now roommates and dance partners who move together like old pros. And while they dance together in other styles, they said they love the simplicity and tradition of the square dance. "Square dancing is very approachable," he said. "It's a lot easier to get into this kind of dance than it is to get into anything else." The 15th Annual Portland Old-Time Music Gathering is here! Flat Rock Stringband will be playing the Thursday night square dance at Velo Cult. For a complete schedule of events, check here. We'll be playing tunes 1920s style in the beautiful Treasury Ballroom to help benefit- and celebrate- the great work of the folks at Crag Law Center!
We're excited to play a family dance at the Village Ballroom this Sunday, November 3rd from 4:00-5:30. Steph Noll and Maggie Lind will be calling the dances. Bring the whole family! And afterwards, stay for the Every Sunday Square Dance, for an entire evening of Square Dance!
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The Flat Rock Stringband
"Old-Time music is so 2006" Archives
April 2019
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